| Much-canceled gambling cruise finally floats 04/08/2001 Associated Press GALVESTON – After eight canceled cruises, Talisman Cruise Lines' gambling ship finally made it out of port on its maiden voyage.
It took more than two years to get the ship on its way, said Talisman senior partner Francisco Tejeda.
Island resident Sandra Oates won $600 playing slot machines.
"The food was great, and the service was great," Ms. Oates said. "But there were some problems with the machines."
Talisman officials acknowledged that one bank of 15 electronic gaming machines malfunctioned and that there were problems with the computerized card system.
Those glitches resulted in staff members having to distribute some winnings manually.
Houston resident Octavio Plaza said he enjoyed the cruise but was frustrated that he couldn't get a cash advance on his credit card.
"I was very disappointed about that," he said. "But everything else was very nice. The ship was clean, and the staff was very nice."
The ship, which can accommodate 800 passengers, had about 300 on board Friday.
Mr. Tejeda said cruises for Friday night, Saturday and Sunday were sold out.
The Talisman had been scheduled to sail Monday, but Coast Guard safety inspections had not been completed. An inadequate number of certified life boatmen added to the delay.
Company officials were able to contact all but 20 scheduled passengers to advise them in advance of the cancellations.
The company was not as fortunate Wednesday when a last-minute discovery of problems with the ship's fire-detection equipment left more than 500 passengers stranded.
Some of those passengers had driven from as far away as Austin and San Antonio.
Mr. Tejeda estimated the eight canceled cruises cost the company more than $100,000.
|
